This has long been our favorite pizza combination, and we have converted many a follower. Why? Because a spicy jalapeño kick is mellowed by sweet pineapples nuggets and melty cheese makes everything better. Spicy + Sweet + Cheesy = the holy flavor trinity. And when you add a little homemade ranch with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes well, you just made your threesome a foursome!
Honey: I can’t take full credit for this combo. My surfing-on-his-lunch-break boss at the corporate coffee shop that funded my high school shenanigans would get this for us on slow winter nights when we had to stay open even if we hadn’t had a customer in hours. That was on the nights we didn’t trade venti fully-loaded caffeine bombs for dozens of garlic knots from C&O.
We both worked corporate coffee shops jobs (can you guess who worked where?). We are not morning people. We both partied too hard the night before our 5am shifts. We learned so much more than how to make coffee. Like how to make chocolate raspberry whipped cream, that people use those whipped cream canisters as a drug, that public bathrooms may actually be used for bathing, that fingers can withstand repeated steam burns, that obnoxious customers are given decaf in defiance, that you always tip at least 20% because it is the right thing to do and will make your heart happy (I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten that on your behalf recently). We learned some major life lesson stuff from working crappy jobs. Most importantly, we learned about this pizza.
It may be your favorite food, you might have the coolest pizza place in Portland, but if you aren’t eating it with these toppings, you probably aren’t having the best pizza of your life. No need for fancy pizza racks or stones, this bad boy uses a large cast-iron skillet. The crust is crisped on the stove top before heading into the oven. Add a little pancetta or prosciutto for meat-loving flare, and if you are feeling extra fancy, roast the pineapple slices in a 450° oven for 10-15 minutes on each side (I find pineapple sweet enough on its own, but you could sprinkle with brown sugar for extra caramelization action).
Makes 1 pizza. Technique adapted from Macheesmo
Ingredients
- 6 ounces slices part-skim mozzarella (we won’t judge if you use string cheese)
- 3 + ounces shaved parmesan
- 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained of liquid if using canned
- 1-2 sliced fresh jalapeños, de-seeded if you are going less spicy (canned is ok but we prefer fresh)
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes
- Pizza Dough (we used TJ’s whole wheat but we dig making your own)
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles (don’t judge)
- cornmeal, for bottom of pan (optional)
Directions
- Let your dough hang out for an hour as it comes to room temperature.
- Heat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch out your dough to fit your skillet (we used 1/2 the TJ dough for a 9″ skillet). Sprinkle skillet with a thin coat of cornmeal. Place dough in skillet and press to edges and slightly up the sides for crust.
- Spread tomatoes or pizza sauce over dough leaving an inch to 1/2 inch boarder of crust.
- We like the cheese sandwich approach, it goes: sauce, cheese, toppings, more cheese. Arrange the slices of mozzarella on the sauce. Evenly spread jalapeños and pineapples, top with shaved parmesan. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you know you like it hot.
- This is where Macheesmo‘s tips came in handy. The trick to skillet pizza is crisping the crust on the stove before popping it into the oven. Crank the heat on your (hopefully gas) stove, let it heat up a bit. Place the skillet over high heat and cook for around 3 minutes. You want to get the pan super hot so be careful transferring it to the oven.
- Transfer to a 450° oven and continue to cook it until the crust is browned and the cheese melted, around 15-19 minutes, depending on your desired crispiness.
- Remove from oven and slide pizza on to a cutting board. Let cool a few minutes before digging in.
